xxxZigZagxxx's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[On The Wings Of An Angel]

0:07 Interesting chime effect, it takes up quite a lot of the EQ'ing space because of the Bass that it has, I think.
0:24 OOOoooo I like the brooding piano underneath. Let's hope you lift this with some kind of string component.
0:38 yes. Very nice, please make those choirs louder. This is a very uplifting piece. It takes a while to warm up, but very uplifting.
0:58 Something about that electric piano is very modern. It's almost kitsch in a good way.
1:14 Eek! Ouch! Those hi hats are very piercing. I don't like how they hurt. They're too sharp!
1:33 Please don't stick knives in my ears... ouch. stop it.
2:08 Wow. That sharp sound ruins the whole song. Ow. It actually physically pains me.

OK I had to skip
2:58 Much better. No more sharp noise.
3:14 Very uplifting piano chords.
3:22 I like these snare hits. Very triumphant.
3:28 Yes! Bang that crash. I love the epicness. Lift me higher!
3:37 This is beautiful. Very uplifting. If I was a crier I would.
3:57 AMAZING. Best part of the song. I love that descending riff by the electric piano.
4:03 Did you make a mistake on the piano here? lol. not many people would notice... you played it live I guess, but forgot to fix it? Or maybe I'm being critical
4:27 Still beautiful. You have that arp still going. Stoic. Unchanging.
4:40 I'm glad you got rid of that piercing hi-hat, I really am. It wasn't even a hi-hat, it was more like... one of those really piercing metronome sounds.
4:59 OH CRAP ITS BACK... pls stop it...
5:09 You're ruining a beautiful ending with that piercing sound......
(skipped to 5:54)
5:59 OK. Nice.

Phew! That was a beautiful song. Especially the point at 3:57, which I believe is the apex of the song. It just delivers in so many ways during that portion and the part before.

I think I made my point with the piercing metronome-like sound that physically hurt my ears so much I had to skip. In my opinion you should either EQ the sound to make it less piercing or remove it altogether. I enjoyed the moments without it that much better.

Aside from that minor letdown, thanks for letting me listen to an immaculately constructed piece that touched my emotions, especially at the buildup. A little refinement (and by that, I mean the removal of a certain PEST sound ;)) then your song will be *sweet*.

Thanks again for the song!

Macca3232 responds:

Thanks for the really in depth review, it was a great read to know what you where thinking listening to it, I don't normally do songs like this so I had alot of fun making it. At the time when I made this I was really happy with the way it turned out but you'll be pleased to know that I did do a remake of this song which ill drop in a week or so, which gets rid of the 'piercing metronome-like sounds' with more or a kick back and relax vibe.

[Willow]

0:07 So you're starting off with some nice piano arps. OK.
0:19 Hmm.. .this piano is kind of quiet and not that well eq'd. Everything is very quiet.
0:35 It would be nice if you had strings alongside this, or some interesting reverb to set the tone.
0:47 OK by now it's feeling a bit lazy.
0:53 Change in chords, but I would like some flow, it seems like the chords don't always flow into each other. I get the feeling this needs strings and other instruments to fill up the sound space.

Yeah I kind of ended there coz it didn't grab my attention. I think that this needs a lot more than a single piano melody to carry it. Plus, it's way too quiet and there's not enough interest.

1:49 Wait a minute, this sounds really interesting. I like this melody. But still, so quiet!
2:03 I don't like the fact that all the velocities sound the same. It sounds like all your hits are equally strong, and they're all in perfect tempo so it sounds like it's made from a computer, which it obviously is, but naturalism is good.

But yeah, I ended there. It was getting kind of boring. Nice, but very quiet and not enough to hold my interest for very long.

[water+]

0:00 Nice loop. The mixing is a little funny. Not sure if those are real chords.
0:11 I can hear a little voice loop in there. Funny.
0:19 If anything this sounds like experimentation. I don't mind experimentation.
0:28 It's slightly hilarious.

It is repetitive, but kinda catchy. But it's just experimentation, and it gets really jarring after a while with the really off-putting chords and such. Needs a bit more to push it past average.

Cool!

Tarteviant responds:

Thanks for the feedback.. my ears can't really do everything by themselves lol appreciate it loads guys.
The mix is mind boggling. It sounds like some simple little loop but I have to compress this, reverb that, eq this, quiet that, just for it to even sound bland enough to not be a pain.

But yea this was an experiment,

yea..

[Final Passage-[Cinematic]]

These are... epic. I can't believe it. Thanks for entrancing me with your music. Keep on keeping on. You are a star in the sky.

[Liquid High]

0:00 Nice soothing intro.
0:12 Drum&bass rhythm coming in. Lots of reverb. nice intro.
0:22 You got hi's coming in here. If anything, this song kind of lacks a little energy so far, and feels like bits are being pasted on as we go.
0:43 I think this is supposed to be a build-up. It should be a bit more exciting. Using things like automation filters could be exciting.
1:10 Hmm... the bass isn't all too bassy. It needs to be a bit more impacting.
1:25 Playful. Has a playful melody. Perhaps the type of reverb on that main lead is too weird. It feels like it's in a different space altogether. I don't really like it.
2:09 It's getting a bit repetitive right now. Be nice if things varied to keep me interesting. Yes the melody is progressing, but nothing else seems to be.
2:49 Still kind of sitting here waiting for something to happen.
2:57 OK nice build up, repeating synths, I hope it builds to a nice conclusion.
3:20 Ok this is interesting. I like at least that there's some variety. But still nedes to be interesting. That hi-hat pattern's a bit boring.
3:37 Did it just loop over again? I'm going to skip through to check. It sounds like it exactly looped.

Ok not sure if it looped again but I didn't want to listen to it and it sounded pretty much the same. Very moody, very understated, but just a little bit boring. You might want to spice things up and fix the reverb on that main synth. Things are just a little dreary and lacking energy, and I can't really hear the fullness of your lead etc.

Thanks for letting me listen!

[Torture Rack [Lex Luger type]

Very tight. Very loud. Very nice. this is probably the best beat I've heard from you. Well done.

[Traphouse4]

Interesting new style. I want you to keep trying stuff like this, even though the synth isn't that well mixed. The snare is nice though. Your kicks are a bit over-bassy and the snares clumsy, but your overall progression is tight.

ThaKidd responds:

I don't care for trap so I said fuck mastering haha

[Every day of Every week - Zieg]

I do like your flow quite a lot on this one. You've got a very cool voice for rappin and stuff ^_^

If you had a better mic it'd be even better. And you're good at lyrics too. The song's got a general theme of hustlin :)

ZigZag

SinZLazTWordZ responds:

Thanks ZigZag. I appreciate the review man. I dont think the problem is the microphone though. Its what the microphone picks up... its a fantastic microphone but I dont have a secluded closed off room to record in. Picks up other sounds sometimes. But I know what you mean man.
Thank you again for taking the time to review.

Ziegie

[Goodbye-[Cinematic]]

This song blesses me in so many different ways. The composition lifts my soul with grace. I feel weighted no longer by concerns of death, but by the promise of life. A weight is lifted off my shoulders. I feel lighter. The world surrounding me looks brighter. I stare into the distance, the grains of sand coarse between my toes, the sunlight beating down on my forehead, the wind blowing across the desert landscape. I can bend time. Life makes sense now in this universe. I am no longer encumbered by all that crap I used to think was important. I cut off my heels and ascend into the sky.

keepwalking responds:

I hope you notice what you just wrote there. Such deep words, man.

[Life of the Party]

Noticeably chill. Your snares aren't overwhelming like they sometimes are. Your scratching is top-notch. I like the static leading from about 1:30 onwards. 1:45 feels kind of out of place within the progression. You have a knack for making a very few elements feel "full". It's nice that you cracked a 3-month block, if that means what I think it means.